The Tale of Strange Chance and True Love
by alicat54
Summary: one-shot. Why does Ichigo have both shinigami and hollow powers? This is the untold tale of Masaki the arrancar and how she met Issin Kurosaki the shinigami captain.


Like I said before :if I owned bleach, ichigo would be evil

+_+_+_+_+_+_

Masaki laughed as she skipped unnoticed through the festival.

Well unnoticed wasn't the right word. The fact that people could see her, but chose to pass her off as another tourist enjoying a vacation, made her laugh.

'I wonder what they would do if they say my real form, or my released form!' she thought with glee while licking a Popsicle and gazing at a distortion of her face in the funhouse mirror.

For you see Masaki was not a normal tourist enjoying a vacation.

Well, technically, I suppose she was, if you can consider an arrancar in a stolen gigia skipping around town without permission a tourist.

Another bright laugh escaped her.

With the gigia blocking her hollow powers she could spend as long as she liked in the human world without being found by the shinigami.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_

Kurosaki Issin reluctantly trudged through the human festival.

He didn't notice nor really care that his gloomy personality contrasted terribly with the bright atmosphere around him.

The reason that the 13th division captain was depressed and currently walking around in a gigia are very closely linked, in fact they were the same reason actually.

You see he was just about to leave soul society to visit his friend Urahara, when the hell moth he had been following unexpectedly took a wrong turn into one of the giant centipede like cleaners, and quickly after got itself killed, leaving Issin to run for his life in a general direction that he hoped was out of this in-between nightmare place.

He was already wearing the gigia when he happened upon a rip in space that dumped him in this town.

It blocked his shinigami powers, and he had forgotten any soul candy to let him exit it, so he was trapped within it until he managed to find Urahara.

Which leads to our current situation of him wandering aimlessly around this cheery festival, while in a decidedly not cheery mood.

He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't notice the orange haired girl eating a Popsicle happily walking towards him till it was too late.

He didn't run into her that hard, but it was hard enough that her frozen treat went flying from her hand and into the dirt.

"Sorry." He said, not really sounding sorry at all.

The girl noticed this and a vein of annoyance ticked through her.

A devious smirk flitted across her face for a moment before being contorted into a teary heart broken cry.

"M-my popsicle!" she cried big fat tears collecting in her eyes before she burst into tears.

Issin looked startled.

"Are you alright?"

Masaki wailed, "Th-that was my only….Waaaaa!"

"C-Calm down!" Issin pleaded to the crying girl," Come on I'll buy you another one, will that make you feel better?"

Instantly the tears dried and a glamorous smile that made the captain blush replaced it.

"Ok, the stand is this way!'

And that was how Masaki the arrancar managed to con he 13th squad captain into buying her a popsicle that was much bigger and more expensive than the one he had made her drop.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_

It was getting darker now, although the festival was still in full swing.

Masaki had convinced Issin to accompany her (i.e.: pay) while she enjoyed the stalls, and food and games the festival had to offer.

Reluctantly, but more willingly as the day went on, he allowed his wallet to be at her disposal.

Currently they both sat on a hill expectantly craning their necks for the fireworks, which had yet to start.

Hesitantly Issin stretched his hand till it met Masaki's.

No words were said; they didn't need to say anything.

Neither noticed the bright lights above them, till they had already died and had been replaced by others.

It was their first kiss.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

Issin barged into the candy shop.

"Kurosaki-san I thought you were dead!"

He turned to see a blonde wearing a green striped hat and sandals.

"Hu?"

Urahara nodded and pulled a fan from his sleeve.

"Everyone thinks you died in the passage between here and soul society. They managed to find your hell moth, but no you."

The nonplussed look on Issin's face cracked into a bright smile. "Really? That's great!"

Now Urahara was the one to look confused.

Issin ceased his exclamations of joy and turned to the shopkeeper with a serious face.

"Urahara, I need your help."

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

"Nel-sama! I really need to talk to you!"

Masaki approached the green haired espada with a serious and pleading look on her face.

Said espada turned to her looking worried. "What is it Masaki-chan?"

Masaki fidgeted nervously.

"Nel-sama, I've fallen in love."

The older woman's face broke into a bright grin and engulfed the girl in a hug.

"That's great, who is it?"

"That's the problem, he's human."

"Oh. That is a problem isn't it?"

She nodded.

"We could always kill him and hope he turns into an Arrancar too."

Masaki shook her head in horror, "No! I don't want to kill him!"

After a moments silence Nel's grin returned.

"I've got an idea!"

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+

The wedding was very small.

Unknown to all there, no one at the wedding was actually alive, save the priest.

Neither bride nor groom had any family, only close very friends, attending.

They couldn't be happier.

Nearly a year later that statement was proven wrong when a baby boy named Kurosaki Ichigo was born.

The parents were surprised that their false bodies could have any children at all, but both were thankful that they could.

Masaki first noticed that her baby had inherited her powers when he waved to a ghost on the street.

Issin first noticed the day after his son learned to walk when he nearly lit the carpet on fire with a misplaced reitsu spike.

Luckily by the time the twins were born the cursed gigia had done their jobs leaving neither parent with enough power to pass onto their daughters.

Masaki was grateful that she felt no hollow energy in them like she did in Ichigo.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_

It was a rainy day and Masaki was walking in the rain with her nine year old son.

The past ten years had been the happiest of her after life; she had more than she ever expected she ever would.

She had noticed her powers weakening, but that was ok. She would die at the same time a normal human would by the time it ran out completely.

Suddenly she felt her son's hand leave hers.

"Ichigo?" she called.

"Just a minute mom!"

She strained her eyes through the rain after him trying to see where he was going.

Her eyes widened. Oh no.

"Ichigo!" She shrieked as he ran towards the hollow by the river.

She flung herself protectively over him before he could be touched by sharp claws.

"Mommy!" he shrieked in fear.

"Ichigo, keep your eyes shut!" she yelled ignoring the pain in her side.

She left her body for the first time in ten years, and for the first time in years truly felt how weak she had become because of it.

She turned to the hollow that dared to harm her child, and drew her sword, even as blood continued to flow out of her.

The pitiful hollow fled before she even managed to raise her arm.

She smirked. Even after all these years and in her incredibly weak state she could still send weaker hollows running.

Sighing she fell to her knees beside her own body. She was too tired to even return to it before she faded.

"Ichigo," she murmured, "I love you so much." She laid a gentle kiss on his orange head, and then she was gone.

+_+_+_+_+_+_+_

Issin didn't know Masaki was a hollow, and she didn't know he was a shinigami.

Masaki was one of Nel's Fraccion. Nel was the one who found a gigia for her. She actually stole it from Urahara's shop.


End file.
